How Do Public Adjusters Get Paid?

Whether you’ve recently lived through a catastrophic hurricane, are dealing with a mold or water damage issue, or experienced a house fire submitting a property damage claim can be incredibly stressful. Hiring a public adjuster can help alleviate much of the stress and hassle involved with getting your claim paid. Hiring a public adjuster typically results in a significantly larger payment from your insurance company. You may be wondering “how does my public adjuster get paid?”

One of the benefits of using Sentry Public Adjusting is that our payment comes as a small percentage of what your insurance company will be paying. While our services aren’t exactly free, they come at no upfront cost to you. When you get paid, so do we. Our adjusters at Sentry Public Adjusting has been helping clients maximize their property damage claims for decades, and we work tirelessly on behalf of our clients.

When Should I Hire A Public Adjuster?

When it comes to dealing with your home and your future, it’s always best to get professionals involved as early in the process as possible. Public adjusters are trained to review and understand property insurance policies. Without proper representation, there may be additional coverage you are entitled to that you may not be aware.

Hiring a public adjuster does come with a cost, and some policyholders decide to handle their claim themselves. Though few are successful, many become bogged down in the process and are never really sure they received the proper settlement amount.

Why Can’t I Handle my Claim by Myself?

The everyday homeowner doesn’t always have the understanding of the legalities and a thorough knowledge of their homeowner’s insurance policy. When your home is damaged, you’re under stress, and that can cause you to be frazzled and overlook important parts of your policy. Let Sentry Public Adjusting take some of the weight off your shoulders.

You don’t have the time to deal with the demands of the insurance company. People already have full lives. They work and have family commitments and may not want to deal with the stress of trying to get a claim processed and paid.

You don’t understand your policy. Insurance contracts can sometimes be confusing documents leaving individuals unsure of their coverage. But if you cannot understand your policy, consider asking Sentry Public Adjusting for help. Most reputable public adjusters will review your loss with no obligation.

You don’t have the expertise. Filing an insurance claim (especially with extensive and complicated damages) can be daunting. Get help if you are confused and avoid mistakes that might affect your settlement.

Your damage is extensive. Severe property damage creates a variety of complicated claims issues. Claims that you are due under your policy and certain types of damages can often be missed. Certain expenses may also be placed in the wrong claims categories. Identifying hidden structural damage, valuing your loss properly and accounting for possessions and valuables can impact the value of your claim.

What About the Adjuster From the Insurance Company?

When it comes down to your insurance company, they tend to either drag their feet, or they want to get your claim closed as quickly as possible. Either of those instances is just cause to hire a public adjuster. Many things can be overlooked at this point. You don’t want to be left with questions or have to re-open your claim. Hiring a public adjuster can make this process much easier for you from the beginning.

The insurance carrier is offering a quick payoff. Insurance company research shows that the quicker a policyholder gets paid-off, the happier they are. Unfortunately, what appears to be great customer service can sometimes be an attempt to get rid of a claim and get you to settle for less money due to the stress and desire to “get it over with.” Our only advice here is to take your time and make sure you are protected. You should not be rushed or forced to sign anything until you understand the true impact a claim can have.

The insurance carrier appears to be delaying your claim. This often happens when major catastrophes create claims log-jams. In many cases, we have seen insurance companies fly in adjusters from out of state who do not understand state law. In all states, insurance carriers are required to respond to you and process your claim in a specified period. If you are getting the run-around, get help.

The insurance carriers settlement offer appears to be inadequate based on your coverage. Unfortunately, insurance company adjusters and carriers do not always act in the best interest of their policyholders. They are in business to turn a profit and may value damages to your property differently than you. Sometimes they may determine that you are not covered for some of the damage. They also make offers that do not even approach the value of restoring the damaged property. This is where an expert who uses the same estimating software as the insurance carrier and understands insurance policy language can help.

Your insurance claims adjuster is discouraging you from hiring a public insurance adjuster. Insurance claims representatives that are afraid to deal with a licensed professional may be a red flag. You should be the only one determining if hiring your public adjuster makes sense and is worth the cost.